Health experts and lawmakers are in northern NSW today for day two of the State Government’s Drug Summit.
The summit is aimed at addressing the issues faced by people impacted by drugs and alcohol.
It launched in Griffith – in the NSW Riverina region – on Friday, with talks continuing in Lismore, ahead of a forum in Sydney next month.
Regional Health Minister Ryan Park said the summit “will cover a range of matters from prevention, to harm minimisation,” and treatment. However, community organisations say they’ve been excluded from the schedule.
NSW Drug Summit
The last time NSW hosted a drug summit was in 1999. Before the 2023 state election, NSW Labor committed to holding a drug summit if elected.
In July, Premier Chris Minns announced details of the 2024 NSW Drug Summit. Minns said it would be held across four days in regional and metropolitan NSW.
At the time, the State Government said the event would bring together “medical experts, police, people with lived and living experience, drug user organisations, families, service providers and other stakeholders”.
Funding
During the first day of the summit last week, the Government announced a $9.8 million package for treatment services in the southern NSW Murrumbidgee Local Health District (LHD).
Funding will go towards case management and counselling services, alongside youth programs.
On Monday, the State Government announced a further $21 million to fund drug and alcohol services in Northern NSW. This funding will go towards rehabilitation and counselling services.
Community groups
Linking Communities Network (LCN) is a homelessness and domestic violence support agency operating in the Murrumbidgee LHD.
LCN Deputy CEO Kirrilly Salvestro said that while it was “pleasing” that the Summit was held in Griffith, “several agencies did not get an invite“ or a chance ”to provide feedback and localised solutions” to the Government.
“It is vital to get local perspectives and community agencies on the ground [to] provide valuable insights into the issues facing local communities,” she said.
Opposition
NSW Shadow Health Minister Kellie Sloane told TDA that the Drug Summit should encourage “open conversation about drug policy and to shine a light on some uncomfortable topics.”
Sloane said the summit has “been disappointing” so far, and noted criticism “for its lack of transparency [and] the exclusion of key local voices”.
“I hope that this is simply a case of bad event management, and not censorship.”
